Disgorged - delayed and disgruntled

22nd May Wednesday

 

After lunch we said goodbye to all the people we had met on the cruise and set off with Betty our guide to Yichang where the boat had dropped us all off. Tonight it will take 300 people on a cruise back up the river.

 

As soon as we all got off there was a rumour that our planes were all delayed.  Apparently the Chinese air force were having a military exercise and all flights were delayed!!

 

Things are sensitive here with both North Korea and Japan and it is that has caused the problem as far as we can tell.

 

Anyway having said goodbye to everyone we then found they were all at the local museum with us to while away some time.

 

There were many artefacts that were found during the excavation for the dam and it was actually really interesting.  We have found in several museums and galleries that the Chinese Government are willing to sell off stuff that is less than 300 years old to raise money for further improvements to the museums etc.  I could not resist a brush pot which is very lovely!

 

Betty told us that in Yichang the Government had removed two inconvenient mountains to improve the area by building a shipyard and a chemical fertilizer factory. Not a lot of logic here but that is the nature of this place.

 

When Yichang really had no more to offer we went to the airport.

 

There was no information about any plane going to Beijing.  After two hours the Shanghai planes left but still nothing for us. Betty was not allowed to leave until we were checked in to our flight and the company had even booked us onto another Beijing flight in case that turned up first.

 

So we waited, and then we waited some more.

 

And after waiting a bit more we had supper which was inedible.

 

We played cards and met Ed Gross from the USA. He trains Pastors around the world and was a really nice man.

 

He and Tone discussed Christianity and after some time they agreed to disagree.  It was a really interesting conversation to hear.

 

And so we waited a bit more

 

At 9.30 pm we heard that the plane had probably left Beijing so would be here and ready to take us back at 12.30am!

 

And after waiting some more it did arrive and at just after midnight we boarded the second plane we were booked onto because it arrived before the first!! Have you got that?

 

By the way the third plane which we were not booked on also arrived before the first.

 

At 3.30am we arrived in Beijing.

 

We waited 40 minutes for our bags only to find that one of them was completely split down the side seam

 

It was also very dirty so we think it was probably dropped from quite a height

 

Actually this was dealt with very easily because they just gave us a new bag.

 

We were met by Judy and our driver and set off for our hotel